ETA Declares a Permanent Cease-Fire, Again

The terrorist mob that calls itself Euskadi Ta Askatasuna [ETA, or in English, Basque Homeland and Freedom] has declared a "permanent, general and verifiable" cease-fire. Txelui Moreno, former spokesman for ETA's political wing, the banned Batasuna, was asked on Catalunya Radio, "But has ETA violence ended for good?" Mr. Moreno responded, "Yes, I believe so." For the record since the 1980s, ETA has announced 10 fixed and indefinite cease-fires. One would like to believe Mr. Moreno, but history suggests this halt will not stick either.

The Basque people are a distinct ethnic group who live in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. Traditionally, there are three ancient provinces in France and four Spanish provinces with a big Basque population in Navarre. Their language is not related to anything else spoken in Europe; indeed, it is likely the only pre-Indo-European language on the Continent. Basque culture is distinct from Spanish or French culture. So under Woodrow Wilson's painfully stupid idea of self-determination of peoples, some make the argument that the Basques should have political independence.

ETA started off in 1959 on the side of the angels resisting the Franco dictatorship. It killed its first Civil Guard in 1968, and this journal has a hard time arguing that fighting Franco was a bad thing. However, when the dictator died and Spain joined the family of democracies in the 1970s, ETA continued its violent resistance. It is one thing to resist a dictator and quite another to take up arms against a democratically elected government. The Marxist-Leninist ideology ETA officially adopted in 1965 may have something to do with this.

In its latest statement, ETA said, "It is time to act with historical responsibility. ETA calls upon those governing Spain and France to end all repressive measures and to leave aside for once and for all their position of denial towards the Basque Country." Someday, revolutionaries will learn to speak and write like human beings, but the point is clear enough. Paris and Madrid need to free the Basques. The terrorists said, "ETA will continue its indefatigable struggle and efforts to promote and to bring to a conclusion the democratic process until there is a truly democratic situation in the Basque Country." That will prove interesting as Batasuna won just 10% of the vote in the last local elections prior to being banned. ETA claims, "The solution will come through the democratic process with dialogue and negotiation as its tools and with its compass pointed towards the will of the Basque people." In recent opinion polls, about 2/3 of the people living the Basque provinces of Spain totally rejected ETA, and in Navarre, the figure was higher.

In today's Independent, Irish nationalist leader and one-time suspected terrorist, Gerry Adams, wrote, "Arnaldo Ortegi should be released. Arnaldo is a key leader of the Basque independence movement. He is a committed supporter of the need to develop a democratic process. His continued imprisonment is unjust. It is also an obstacle to the development of a process for peace-making and positive change." Mr. Adams also stated that Batasuna should be unbanned.

The Zapatero government in Madrid should seriously consider these ideas. Mr. Ortegi's freedom can be made conditional on the continued good behavior of ETA. And Batasuna getting thumped at the polls can only be to the advantage of Madrid.

That said, one must remember that ETA is divided between two factions. The young Turks (or Basques) who see their violent struggle in romantic terms, and the old veterans who have spent decades in that struggle and who have yet to see an independent Euskadi. Peace can happen, but there will be those who call peace a "sell-out," like the Real IRA who rejected Mr. Adams' peace deal. Getting some kind of arrangement is in the interest of most, and it will marginalize the hard-core terrorists. Nevertheless, ETA's track record calls into question just how serious it is about a deal. One expects this cease-fire to last throughout 2011 with luck but not through 2012.

© Copyright 2011 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.

Kensington Review Home